Diet Revealed That Prevents Alzheimer"s Disease

Scientists have discovered a link between diet and early signs of Alzheimer's disease: strict adherence to the MIND diet significantly reduces the likelihood of pathological changes in amyloid protein – a critical marker of the disease that appears long before memory impairment.

As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to a publication in Nutritional Neuroscience, the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a combination of Mediterranean diet principles and the DASH diet, specifically designed to protect the brain. Previous studies have already indicated a slowdown in cognitive decline when following this diet, but the exact biological mechanisms of this effect have remained a mystery until now.

"There is a gap in scientific understanding regarding the specific biological processes that explain the connection between the MIND diet and brain health," emphasized the research leader, Professor of Nutrition and Eating Behavior at Harokopio University, Mary Yannakoullia. According to her, one of the key mechanisms may be the accumulation of amyloid beta protein, a process that begins many years before Alzheimer's disease symptoms manifest.

Researchers analyzed materials from the Greek ALBION project, which included 250 participants without dementia with a median age of 65 years. Eating habits were assessed by professional dietitians through four detailed daily surveys conducted on different days of the week. Based on the information obtained, each participant was assigned a MIND diet adherence score based on 15 parameters – from consumption of green leafy vegetables, berries, fish, and whole grains to limiting red meat, sweets, and fried foods.

The results of the study are impressive: people with the highest adherence to the MIND diet had approximately 57% lower probability of pathological decrease in amyloid beta-42 levels compared to those who followed this dietary system the least. Notably, even in the presence of genetic risk – the APOE4 gene variant – the relationship between the MIND diet and favorable biomarker indicators remained.

"Our data convincingly demonstrate that adherence to a healthy diet may be associated with more favorable indicators of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers," concluded Yannakoullia.